You Belong With Me
by kuntrygal
Summary: Inspired by the Taylor Swift song. Football Star Edward & Book Nerd Bella are best friends until he starts dating Cheerleader Barbie. Can Bella make him see he really belongs with her before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**This is a short story inspired by the song "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift.** **This is a repost of a story I am finally going to finish. Beta'd back in the day by Kefe & TwiDi. I own nothing to do with Twilight. **

**BPOV**

I was sitting on the porch swing at Edward's, reading my worn out copy of Wuthering Heights. Checking my watch yet again, I smiled. He should be coming up the road any minute. I blushed, shaking my head. Just thinking about him brought a huge smile to my face. He was the sweetest and the best looking guy at school. But even better than that, he was my best friend. We had known each other since we were in diapers and had been joined at the hip since we could walk. Nobody knew Edward like I did and probably no one will ever will.

We hadn't had much time to hang out like we normally did ever since football practice started. Our friends down at the La Push Reservation were having a bonfire party tonight down at First Beach. The whole gang; Emmett and his girlfriend, Rosalie and Jasper and his girlfriend, Alice, were all going. Alice and Rosalie were my best girlfriends while Emmet and Jasper were Edward's best guy friends. It had always been just the six of us.

I jumped off the swing when I heard his motorcycle coming up the road. I smiled and watched him pull up into the front yard, stopping just a few feet away from the porch.

"Hey, Bells!" he called out as soon as he had the helmet off his head.

"Edward! I thought you would never get here!" I exclaimed, jumping off the front porch and into his waiting arms.

"Sorry, coach kept us late after practice." he laughed as he spun me around.

"It's okay. I've been sitting here reading."

He groaned, "Oh, please tell me you're reading something _other_ than 'Wuthering Heights' for a change."

I mocked hurt and slapped his chest. "Edward! You know it's a classic!"

He chuckled and pulled me over to sit down on the front steps. "Yeah, Bells, I know it's a classic. But there are other classics out there you could read too."

"You know I do. This one just happens to be my favorite. Besides, it's better than those trashy smut novels some of the girls at school are reading." I laughed, sitting down on one of the porch steps.

"True." he agreed, sitting down next to me.

He sighed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Listen, Bells, about tonight."

"Oh, I'm so excited, Edward, I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun!" I smiled as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah it is." he cleared his throat, "But I think we should talk about it."

"Look, Edward, I know what you're going to say." I cut him off again.

He blanched, "You do?"

I laughed as I bumped shoulders with him, "Yes, I do. And it's okay I understand."

He looked surprised, "You do? Really?"

I laughed, "Of course, I do, silly! I know you have to practice, it's okay. I understand we can't hang out as much as we used to."

He gave me a small smile as he shook his head, "Bells, you're the best, you know that right?"

I smiled, leaning in and kissed his cheek, "That's right, mister. And don't you forget it!"

He chuckled as he stood up and grabbed my hand, "Come on, I gotta shower."

I followed him into the house and up the stairs to his room. I jumped onto his bed and stretched out across it, my feet swinging off the side.

"So, are we going to grab something to eat on the way to the beach?" I asked as he pulled stuff out of his closet.

"Uh, yeah we can do that."

"Awesome! I would need a Taco Bell fix." I rolled over onto my stomach and grabbed the remote to his stereo turning it on. The sounds of Muse filling the room.

"Okay, behave yourself and I'll be back in a few." he said, kicking off his tennis shoes.

"Yeah, yeah." I mumbled, flipping through a comic he had laying on his bedside table. I kicked off my shoes and made myself comfortable on his bed. I was so comfortable here in his room, it was almost like a second home to me. I turned around on his bed with my head on the pillow, so engrossed in the comic that I didn't even hear him come out of the bathroom, he nearly gave me a heart failure when he jumped onto the bed causing us to bounce.

"Gotcha!" he chuckled, jumping on top of me and hovering over me on all fours. He was grinning down at me as he grabbed my arms pinning them down onto the bed over my head, his knees digging into my hips as he straddled me.

"Edward!" I screamed.

He laughed as he released my arms and began tickling my sides, "What's the matter, Bells?"

"Stop it!" my chest vibrated with laughter and I tried to wiggle away from him. The feeling of his hands on my body, specifically on my skin elicited these feelings that were inappropriate for one to think of about their "best friend". His touch created some kind of warmth that spread through my body like wildfire and settled in areas that I yearned for him to touch.

"Oh no, you don't." he laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist. He then laid down beside me and pulled me closer. He kissed the back of my head and nuzzled his head into my neck causing my breathing to waver slightly.

I smiled as I melted into his embrace. This was where I belonged, wrapped in his arms, I thought. I turned to face him, snuggling into his chest and sighed in contentment. Nothing in the world smelt as good as Edward. He had an earthly smell mixed with a hint of spice that I couldn't determine.

"Let's skip the party and take a nap." he murmured as he snuggled into me.

"Sounds good to me." I agreed, allowing my eyes to drift close.

"Bella, there's something I really need to tell you." he said, giving me a squeeze.

"Edward, we're supposed to be taking a nap."

"Yeah, I know." he chuckled.

"Well, then, be quiet!"

He sighed, "But, Bells."

I looked up at him, and didn't like the expression on his face, it was too serious. His jaw was tense, like he was clenching his teeth together. His eyes grew dark, like they normally did when he was nervous or worried about something. He reached up with one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. He was starting to make me nervous. What could have been so bad, to make him react this way?

"Edward, is everything okay?" I asked.

He groaned and ran his hand over his face, "I'm afraid you're going to be angry with me."

"Uh oh, what did you do?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Well, you see..."

But he never got to finish as we were interrupted by a horn blaring from outside.

"Hey, guys! Come on! Let's go get our party on!" Emmett bellowed from the front yard.

"The gang is here!" I exclaimed, hopping off the bed and quickly slipping my shoes on.

"Bells, wait! I need to tell you something first!" Edward called after me as I ran out of his bedroom.

"Come on, Edward!" I called out over my shoulder, laughing as I ran down the stairs.

I was anxious to get down to First Beach. This was the first night in what seemed like forever that we have all gotten to hang out together. With the guys being tied up with football practice; and Rose and Alice having been off to cheerleading camp; and now practice. I was almost a little jealous of them. At least they got to see each other at practice and I had been spending the majority of my summer alone.

"Emmett!" I yelled, running out the door and straight into his huge spread arms.

"Hey, Bells baby!" he laughed as he grabbed me and swung me around.

"Emmett, ya big ape, put her down!" Rosalie scolded.

"Bella! I really need to tell you something." Edward's voice came up from behind me.

"Edward..." I stopped when I turned to look at him. "What the hell are you wearing?" I asked, my eyes raking his figure from his head to his feet.

I hadn't paid much attention to his outfit earlier on when we were in his room, I was too busy relishing in the way his legs straddled me and the way his hands tickled me that every other rational thought had disappeared. Normally, Edward and I were very casual people who loved jeans and t-shirts. So when I saw him dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a green button down shirt, I was a little bit shocked.

"I think he looks very nice." an unfamiliar feminine voice complimented behind me.

"Tanya! Hey!" Edward replied in a nervous tone.

I looked up at him wide eyed, "Who the hell is Tanya?"

His lips pulled into a tight nervous smile. "I tried to tell you, Bells."

I looked over at Alice and Rose. They were both looking at us nervously and shooting daggers at Edward. There was a girl with them who I had never seen before. She was probably about three inches taller than me, had long beautiful strawberry blond hair and ice blue eyes. She was wearing a mini skirt and some sort of silky looking dark blue blouse. She looked like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine, or like a Barbie Doll come to life.

"Oh, you tried to tell me what? That you invited a _date_ to tag along on _our _night out? That's messed up, Edward!" I snapped back at him.

I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I couldn't believe he was doing this, tonight was supposed to be our night! He knew I had been looking forward to this! It was supposed to be the six of us hanging out together. Now it was the six of them, plus me. How could he do this to me? It felt like he was cheating on me, only as much as I wanted us to be, we weren't a real couple. I looked at my five friends standing together with Tanya. They were all pretty nicely dressed, khaki pants, button down shirts. Alice, Rose and Tanya all dressed in skirts. God, I didn't even fit in with my own friends. Was I being replaced? Had they gotten tired of me?

"Come on, Bells! I tried to tell you numerous times! Give her a break, okay? She's new here and she doesn't have any friends." he pleaded with me.

"Whatever, Edward." I grumbled, rolling my eyes. She needed to go find her own damn friends. She couldn't have my Edward, I thought to myself.

"Bells, don't be mad." Edward pleaded, grasping my hand.

I felt the all too familiar jolt of electricity shoot up my arm. I wondered for about the millionth time if he could feel it too. He never gave any indication that he did. Obviously, he didn't if he invited Cheerleader Barbie to tag along on our night out together.

"Bells?" he repeated in a low voice, squeezing my hand again.

"Ya'll have fun. I'm going home." I sniffed, biting my bottom lip to keep it from trembling as the tears welled up in my eyes and I turned away from him to head to my house.

"What? No! Come on, Bella! Don't be like that!" he pleaded.

"Hells, Bells what's going on?" Emmett asked coming up and wrapping his big arm around my shoulders.

"I'm going home." I repeated.

"No! Bella, come on, you've been talking about this all week!" Alice exclaimed.

"Yeah, come on, Bells!" Rose urged on.

"Come on, Bella, don't leave me to deal with the Pixie here if you back out." Jasper joked, causing me to giggle.

"She obviously doesn't want to go. Let her go home so we can go." Tanya muttered under her breath, but it was still loud enough for me to hear. I narrowed my eyes at her and she just smirked at me. Oh it's on, Barbie.

I looked up at Edward, but he obviously hadn't heard her. His eyes were still trained on me, silently pleading for me to not go home.

"Okay, I'll go. But I'm still pissed off at you." I stated looking him in the eye with a frown.

My favorite crooked grin spread across his face as he pulled me into a hug.

"Okay, kiddos, let's partay!" Emmett cheered as he headed back to his SUV.

I started to follow Alice and Rosalie to Emmett's car when Edward stopped me, his hand grasping my arm, "What are you doing?"

"I was going to ride with them." I replied, nodding towards Em's car.

He looked surprised and a little bit disappointed, "But you always ride with me."

I looked towards his car where Tanya stood waiting by the front passenger door, "Well, my spot has been given away, obviously."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair, "Come on, Bella. Please, try to be friends with her. For me?"

I bit back a groan as he gave me that wounded puppy look he had perfected over the years. Damn him. He knew I couldn't say no to the sad puppy dog eyes.

"Dammit, fine." I grumbled.

He grinned down at me, "Thanks, Bells."

"Yeah, you so owe me."

He chuckled, giving me a one armed hug before opening the door for Tanya.

"Such a gentleman." she giggled as she kissed his cheek.

I felt the surge of jealousy building up inside of me and didn't even wait for Edward before I climbed in the back seat and slammed the door shut. He frowned at me through the window, shaking his head as he walked around to the driver's side door and climbed in.

"Bells, you still want to grab some Taco Bell on the way?" Edward asked as he pulled out of his drive way.

"Yeah! I'm starving." I answered.

"Oh gross! How do you eat that stuff?" Tanya whined.

"Well, we could get something else." Edward offered, "What do you like?"

Oh no, he didn't! My eyes grew wide in shock. We always got Taco Bell, it was our favorite!

"Oh you're too sweet, Edward!" Tanya cooed, "I would love to go to The Salad Shack and get a garden salad."

"Oh brother." I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, that sounds good. I could go for a salad myself. How about you, Bells?" Edward asked, looking up at me in the rear view mirror.

_Is he freakin' serious?_

"No thanks. I'll eat something at the party." I grumbled.

"Come on, Bells." he said pulling into the parking lot of The Salad Shack. "You just said you were starving."

"Edward, you know me well enough to know, I don't eat salads and neither do you for that matter. We always go to Taco Bell."

"Oh come on, Bells. Change is good. Try something new, you might like it!" He chuckled.

"I agree." Tanya purred, grabbing his hand.

_Bitch._

And then, I felt as if someone stabbed me right through my heart. Edward picked up their joined hands and brought them up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. This can't be happening, I thought. Can't he see how wrong she is for him? They are nothing alike! Why should he have to change things about himself to be with her?

"Bells? You sure you don't want anything?" Edward asked as he pulled up to the drive through window.

"Positive."

"Suit yourself." he sighed, before ordering his and Tanya's salads.

I rolled my eyes as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Jake.

_**Hey! **__**Edward has lost his marbles over Cheerleader Barbie and won't get Taco Bell. U guys got sum food there? - B**_

_"_Hey, Edward, turn on some music?" I asked, hoping it would drown out the sound of Tanya's giggling over everything he said and did.

"You got it."

I smiled as he flipped on the stereo and the sounds of Kings of Leon filled the car. _Sweet._

My phone chimed signaling I had a text. I eagerly flipped it open to read Jake's reply.

_**U know it**__**, B! We grilled burgers and bacon dogs! Come on down! - J**_

"Sweet!" I laughed, flipping it shut.

"What's up?" Edward asked.

"Nothing. Jake and the guys grilled burgers and bacon dogs!" I sighed. This was definitely going to make up for missing out on Taco Bell.

"Sweet!" Edward laughed.

"Edward! That sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen! You can't eat that while training for football!" Tanya reprimanded as if she were talking to a small child.

I laughed to myself thinking a bacon dog or two might do her some good.

He sighed, "You're right."

My mouth fell open in shock. No, she did not just say that! And no he didn't agree! What the hell is going on?

"Ugh, what are we listening to?" Tanya whined.

"Kings of Leon! They rock!" I answered.

"Edward! I just got a new CD, can we please listen to it?" she pouted. I saw her place her hand on his leg and it sent chills up my spine. I wanted to slap that little pouty look off her face as she stuck out her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Of course, babe. Whatever you want."

Did he seriously just call her 'babe'? I sadly shook my head. What the hell is happening? Had I entered The Twilight Zone? Am I on Candid Camera?

"Yay! Thanks, baby!" she squealed, pulling her CD out of her purse and promptly ejecting Edward's and tossing it into the console.

Before I even knew what was happening, the sounds of Miley Cyrus filled Edward's car. God, please tell me we are almost at La Push.

I glanced up into the rear view mirror to see Edward looking back at me in horror. I just rolled my eyes shaking my head as he smirked at me. Okay, so maybe he hadn't gone completely insane. Yet. Maybe there was still hope for him. For us.

Two very long songs later, we were pulling into the parking area at First Beach. I didn't know how much more I could take of Tanya's, or Miley's voice for that matter. If I had to listen to that damned "Climb" song one more time I was going to pull all my hair out.

"Oh, Edward! This is going to be so romantic! A bonfire on the beach!" Tanya cooed, grabbing Edward's arm.

He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her and headed towards the beach. My heart broke a little with each step they took. It was like he had completely forgotten I was even here. He made it about halfway before he stopped and turned back to look at me over his shoulder.

"You coming, Bells?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sure." I mumbled.

Damn it was going to be a long night.

** O**

I have nothing against Miley! I actually have a few Miley songs on my iPod. Leave me some love, and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**This is a repost of a story I am finally going to finish. Beta'd back in the day by Kefe & TwiDi. I own nothing to do with Twilight. **

**BPOV**

I followed Edward and Tanya down to the beach, staying a few steps behind them the whole way. I saw the rest of our gang at the other side of the bonfire talking to Jake and Seth. I was about to go over to them when Tanya's whining started yet again.

"Edward, where are we going to sit and eat?" she pouted.

"Oh, okay, hang on, baby, I have a blanket in the trunk of the car." He then turned and looked at me, "Will you stay here with her while I run back and get the blanket?"

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, "Sure, no problem."

As soon as Edward was out of earshot, Tanya turned on me.

"Look, bitch. I'm only tolerating you for now, for _him_. You keep up your shit and I will make sure that he cuts you out completely do you hear me?" she sneered at me.

_Oh, hell no._

"Excuse me?!" I exclaimed putting my hands on my hips.

"You heard me. You've been holding him back. Well, that's going to stop now that I'm here. Edward and I will be king and queen of the school; and we don't need a 'wannabe' like you holding us back. I see the way you look at him! Do you think I'm stupid? Just because he hasn't noticed you mooning over him, don't think I haven't. Get this through your head right now, he doesn't want or need you, so stay out of our way."

I was momentarily in shock. What the hell does Edward see in her? She's a cold-hearted bitch in my opinion. Edward is one of the sweetest, kindest people I have ever known. He would never tolerate someone speaking to me, or anyone else that way. Can she really come between us? God, help me… but I think she can. I just have to believe in Edward and that he won't let her. I opened my mouth to respond, but never got the chance to, as Edward chose that moment to return.

"Everything okay here?" he asked warily looking back and forth between us.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart." Tanya cooed, "Right, Bella?"

"Peachy." I replied through clenched teeth, before turning around to walk off.

"Where ya going, Bells?" Edward asked grabbing my arm.

I looked back at him and then at Tanya who just raised an eyebrow at me.

"Three's a crowd, Edward." I replied giving him a sad smile before walking off.

I went over to where Jake and Seth were. At least I knew I was safe hanging out with them. They love and accept me for who I am.

"Hey, Bells! What's the matter, trouble in paradise?" Seth asked with a laugh as I walked up.

"Shut up, Seth." I snapped rolling my eyes.

"What's up, Bells? Who's the blond?" Jake asked handing me a bacon dog.

"That, my dear Jacob, is Edward's girlfriend Tanya, or as I like to refer to her 'Cheerleader Barbie'." I said before taking a bite of my bacon dog.

"What? His girlfriend? What the hell?" Seth exclaimed.

"Dumb ass." Jacob muttered under his breath.

I just shrugged in response.

"I would've bet money on you two ending up together. You guys are perfect for each other. This just doesn't make any sense." Seth sighed shaking his head.

"Always said 'Cullen was a dumb ass'." Jake chuckled.

"Shut up, Jake." I laughed playfully punching him in the arm.

"I don't know what you see in Cullen anyway, Bells." Jake muttered as he turned up his beer bottle.

"Don't start, Jake." I warned.

"Aw… come on, Bells. The guy is a jerk and you know it."

Seth chuckled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at him. I playfully slapped him on the back of his head.

"Dammit, Jake, you just don't like Edward because he sacked you in that game last year." I laughed.

"Whatever." he huffed taking another sip of his beer.

I laughed as I twisted open a beer, "Aw, come on, Jake… loosen up."

"He doesn't deserve you."

"Jake, you're just jealous." Seth laughed.

"Shut up, man."

_Why would Jake be jealous, I wondered._

"Jealous of Edward? What, Jake, you got the hots for Tanya or something?" I asked playfully kicking his foot.

Jake and Seth both busted out laughing.

"Damn, Bella! You think he's got the hots for _Tanya_?" Seth howled doubling over with laughter.

"Yeah, why else would he be jealous of Edward?" I asked utterly confused. Why was this so funny?

"Come on, Bella. Seriously! Tanya? She is not my type at all." Jake laughed shaking his head.

"What then?" I asked before taking another sip of my beer.

_Wait a minute. No, it couldn't be that. Could it?_

"You don't have the hots for Edward, do you?"

Seth and Jake both stared at me wide eyed before falling off the log in laughter.

"Because if you do, that's cool… I mean, yeah, it's a little weird but, I'm cool with it." I laughed still trying to figure out what was so damned funny.

"What the hell, Bella?" Jacob wheezed out between laughs, as he rolled onto his back looking up at me.

"What's so funny?" I heard Alice's voice come from behind us.

"Nothing. Hey, guys, what's up?" I asked turning to face her, Jasper, Rose and Emmett.

"Not much. So, what's going on? How come you aren't hanging out with Edward?" Rose asked with a knowing look.

"I've been replaced." I shrugged trying to act like it didn't bother me. Which wasn't true. It hurt. It hurt like hell.

"Bells..." Emmett started.

I held up a hand, shaking my head. "No, Emmett, it's okay."

_The hell it is._

"Bells, come on, you know it's not like that." Rose said trying to reassure me.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked nodding over towards where Edward and Tanya were sitting on the other side of the bonfire.

She was now sitting between his legs leaning back against his chest. He had his arms wrapped around her and was whispering in her ear. I had to force myself to look away when she laughed, letting her head fall back against his shoulder as she looked up at him.

"They met when practices started back up." Alice answered looking down at her feet.

"Three weeks ago?" I asked shocked.

She simply nodded in response.

"And he didn't say anything to me? Why? We've never kept anything from each other." I huffed sitting down beside Jake who wrapped an arm around me.

"I don't know, Bella." Alice sighed, "We told him he should tell you she was coming tonight."

_Damn. So that's what he kept trying to tell me earlier._

"He did try to tell me something, but I kept interrupting him." I mumbled.

"Bella, he would never knowingly hurt you." Jasper spoke up.

"Well he sure as hell didn't try hard enough." I sniffed.

"Come on, Bella, come hang out with us. We're going back over to sit with Edward." Emmett said holding a hand out to me.

"No thanks."

"Bells, come on! Don't be like this!" Rose huffed.

"How come you, guys, didn't say anything to me? Have you all been hanging together out behind my back?" I asked glaring at all of them.

Alice covered her face with her hands and Rose bit down on her bottom lip, while Emmet and Jasper looked at each other warily.

"You have, haven't you? So they have been dating for three fucking weeks and nobody told me?"

"Bella, settle down." Jake murmured in my ear giving me a small squeeze.

"No, Jake. I want to know why my 'supposed' best friends kept this from me!" I spat standing back up.

"It wasn't our place to tell you." Alice said softly looking at Rose.

"Bullshit! Friends don't keep stuff like this from each other!" I yelled.

"Bella, settle down. Let's talk about this." Emmett said putting an arm around Rose.

"Don't tell me to settle down, Emmett! How could you, guys, keep this from me?"

I didn't know what hurt worse. The fact that they had been keeping this from me, or that Edward had hidden it from me. I was heartbroken that he had kept his new relationship a secret. Why would he do that?

I turned my back on them and when I did I could see Edward watching us with interest. He raised an eyebrow at me in question. I rolled my eyes and sighed. He made to stand up, his eyes still on me, I shook my head no. The last thing I needed right now was to discuss this with him. I was not ready to face him and quite frankly I didn't want to discuss it with my supposed friends any longer.

"Bella, it wasn't our place to tell you. Edward should have been the one to tell you. Besides, the two of you are just friends right? So, what's the big deal if he's dating someone? It's not like you two have feelings for each other. Right?"

"Alice!" Rose admonished.

I shook my head. I knew what she was trying to do. Alice had been trying to get me to admit my feelings for Edward for awhile.

"What? It's the truth." she replied with a smug smile on her face. I knew she was just trying to goad me into saying something, but it wasn't going to work.

"Alice, stop it!" Jasper said.

"No, it's okay. It's the truth, right? I'm just Edward's shadow, his little buddy. But not anymore." I replied glancing back over at him and Tanya.

"Bella, it's not like that." Alice said sadly.

"No, it's okay. He doesn't need me anymore." I sniffed wiping away a tear that was running down my cheek. "He has _her_ now."

"Bells..." Jake pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me as I broke down. "He's a fool for not realizing what a good thing he has right in front of him." he whispered to me.

I almost smiled at that. I just don't understand how Edward could have kept this from me. We never keep things from each other and we have never lied to one another. Now I felt like everyone had known about this and kept it from me. Did I mean that little to him? And how could he not know how much this would hurt me to keep it from me? How could he not see what we could have together?

"Oh shit." I heard Rose swear under her breath and then felt Jacob tense up and I swear I could almost hear a growl coming from deep within his chest.

"Bella? What's wrong? Are you okay?" I heard Edward's concerned voice behind me.

_Why me Lord?_

"Dammit." I breathed.

"Fuck off, Cullen." Jacob grumbled.

"What did you do to her, mutt?" Edward snapped.

"ME?!" Jacob spat back at him, "I think you better take a step back and look at yourself, jackass."

"What did I do?" Edward asked grabbing my arm and trying to pull me towards him. The look on his face nearly shattered my already broken heart. Confusion and hurt evident in his features. "Bells? Come on, talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Get your fucking hands off of her. You've done enough." Jake growled as his arms tightened around me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Edward asked, "Bells?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. I did not want to have this conversation here, or now. I turned in Jacob's embrace to face Edward.

"Edward, you should go back to your girlfriend. Really. I'm fine. You don't need to be concerned with me anymore. You should focus on Tanya."

His eyes grew wide, as his face fell. Did he finally get it? Maybe, just maybe he cares about me as much as I do him?

"Bella, look. I'm sorry. I never should have invited her to come on our night out."

_Exactly my point, idiot._

Alice snorted, "More like she invited herself."

_Why am I not surprised?_

Edward rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever. Bella, please come sit with us. I would like for you and Tanya to get along and be friends."

"No thanks, Edward. You have made your choice of who you wanted to be here with tonight. Now we both have to live with it."

"Bells..."

I took a deep breath and turned away from him, back to Jake. "Can we go for a walk?"

He smiled down at me as he gave me a squeeze, "Sure."

"See you, guys." I said softly to my friends as I walked off with Jake.

We walked down to the edge of water and started walking away from the group. Jake reached over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to him.

"You okay there, Bells?" he asked softly.

"Sure, I'll be fine."

"You know if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for ya."

I smiled up at him as I wrapped a arm around his waist, "Thanks, Jake."

We walked in silence for a while, before turning to head back up to the group. Once we got closer to where everyone was, I could see Edward and the gang all together on the other side of the bonfire. As we got closer however, my heart dropped down to my stomach. Tanya was now sitting in Edward's lap, with her arms around his neck and one of his arms around her waist, his other hand on the back of her head. I felt like I would be sick. They were kissing, and I wanted to die. I wasn't quick enough to stop the strangled sob that escaped me.

"Bella? Babe, are you okay?" Jake asked grabbing my arm. He then followed my shocked gaze over to Edward, "Son of a bitch!" he spat under his breath, and took a step towards them.

I quickly grabbed him by the arm, "Jake, please don't." I half sobbed as I turned and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm sorry, Bella. But damn, he's really pissing me off tonight."

"I know, Jake. Me too." I sniffed against his chest, "Can you, please, do me a favor?" I asked looking up at him.

"Anything, babe, you know that."

"Will you, please, take me home?"

He gave me a sad smile, "Sure, Bells." he grabbed my hand leading me to the parking lot and to his motorcycle. I didn't even stop to say goodbye to anyone. I wasn't ready to face my so called 'friends'. I quietly climbed onto the back of Jake's bike and hung on to him for dear life on the ride home.

"Bells, you sure you don't want me to kick his ass for ya?" Jake joked as I pulled off the helmet in front of my house.

I chuckled sadly, "Yeah, I'm sure, Jake. See ya later." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"See ya." he sighed putting his helmet back on.

I watched him leave from my front porch before heading upstairs. I quickly stripped off my clothes, putting on one of Edward's old t shirts and climbing into bed. For the first time since I had known him, I cried myself to sleep over Edward Cullen.

**EPOV**

What in the hell just happened? I mean, okay, I understand Bella being a little upset because I allowed Tanya to come along on "our" night out. But I never in a million years imagined she would be this angry. It's not like we don't do the bonfire parties ever. Okay, so it has been a while since the six of us had gotten together for a night like this. But still, Bella just completely blew me off, turned her back on me even and walked off with the mutt. And what the hell did she mean by I shouldn't be concerned with her anymore and I should focus on my girlfriend? Bella's my best friend how could I not be concerned with her?

"God, Edward, you are such an idiot!" Alice grumbled.

"What did I do?" I asked turning on her.

"You just proved my point. Idiot." she turned and grabbed Jasper's hand, "Come on, Jazz."

I shook my head as I watched them walk back around the bonfire to where I had left Tanya sitting. She had been a little reluctant to let me come check on Bella and now I was wishing I hadn't. I couldn't believe Bella didn't want to hang out with us, or even make an attempt to get to know Tanya. Bella is the sweetest girl I know, she's always been friendly and made an attempt to get along with anybody. Why was Tanya different? I shook my head and sighed as I headed back over to Tanya.

"Everything okay, baby?" Tanya asked sounding very concerned when I returned.

I shrugged as I sat down, "I'm not sure. I'll talk to her later and find out what's going on."

"I hope everything is okay." she smiled as she held her hand out to me.

I smiled in return, taking her hand. "I'm sure it will be."

I sat down, held out my arms as invitation and she grinned as she climbed into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as she laid her head on my chest. Jasper and Emmett soon sat down on each side of us and the girls started talking. This is nice, I thought. But something isn't quite right. Sure, I like Tanya, but something just seemed off. I'm just not as comfortable as I feel I should be. I noticed the girls had gotten quiet as Tanya nuzzled into my neck. I turned to softly kiss the top of her head as I gave her a gentle squeeze. She hummed in apparent pleasure as she kissed my neck softly. She continued to kiss along my jaw line, stopping as she kissed the corner of my mouth. It felt nice, but still something seemed off. I could feel her warm breath on my lips.

"Please." she breathed against my lips.

Hey, I'm a gentleman. The lady said 'please'. So I kissed her, softly at first. But before I realized what was even happening she had her tongue in my mouth and I lost all control. She continued kissing me as she wrapped her arms around my neck and one of my hands slipped into the back of her hair. Somewhere in the background I faintly registered the sound of a motorcycle speeding off. Eventually we slowly broke off the kiss.

"Wow." Tanya whispered against my lips.

I chuckled, "Yeah. Wow."

She giggled as she again nuzzled into my chest and sighed. We sat like that for a while longer, just talking with my other friends. I tried not to worry about where Bella was, or how she was. It just didn't seem right not having her here with us. This was supposed to be out night together after all. But I guess I can't really blame her for being upset with me. I guess I did kinda mess up our night allowing Tanya to come. I hadn't ever really intended for her to come, but when she'd overheard the other girls talking about it she had asked to tag along. And what can I say? I'm a sucker for the pout. I couldn't tell her no, I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I figured Bella would understand. Then when Bella kept going on and on about how excited she was for the six of us to hang out together, I started to feel like a real ass. I don't understand her not even making an effort to get to know Tanya. It's not like I haven't dated other girls before. Why is Tanya any different? Aren't your best friends supposed to be supportive?

"Edward, are you listening?" Tanya asked as she patted my chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what?"

She smiled at me, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah sure, just thinking."

"Your friends are ready to go. It's late and I do have a midnight curfew."

I glanced at my watch to see it was 11:40. Wow, where did the night go?

"Okay, babe, let me just find Bella and we'll go."

"Edward, have you see her lately?" Alice asked as the girls shook the sand off the blankets.

I frowned as I realized I hadn't. "No, can't say I have."

"Well, I'm sure Jake will know where she is." Emmett said as he clapped my shoulder.

Emmett, Jasper and I all walked together over to where Jacob and the other guys from the reservation were hanging out.

"What do you want, Cullen?" Jacob sneered.

"Can you tell me where Bella is? We were getting ready to go and she rode with us." I replied, trying to keep my temper in check.

Jacob snorted as all the other guys shook their heads and muttered curses under the breath.

"Damn, Cullen, I really don't understand why she stays friends with you. I don't know what she sees in your sorry ass."

"What's that supposed to mean? Look, I'm not going to argue with you Jacob, just tell me where she is so we can go."

Jake moved to stand and his buddy Sam grabbed his arm, shaking his head at him. He made a growling noise shaking his head.

"I took Bella home hours ago, you idiot. You were so wrapped up in your plastic Barbie, over there, you didn't even notice your best friend was gone?"

I nearly winced. Bella left without saying anything? She left on our night out together? She would never leave without telling me.

"You're joking."

"No jack-off. I've always told Bella you weren't good enough for her. I knew you would end up doing something to break her heart. But that's okay, Cullen, keep it up. Because I'll be waiting right here, to put her back together." he said with a smirk.

I saw red. It was bad enough that Bella stayed friends with this jerk after he decked me for sacking him in that game last year. But if he thought I was going to sit back and let him put his filthy paws on _my_ Bella, he had another thing coming. I took a step towards him and he stood up in response.

"You keep your filthy paws off _my_ Bella!" I snarled as Emmett and Jasper each grabbed one of my arms.

"_Your_ Bella?" he scoffed, "What about _your_ Tanya? HUH? Bella feels like she's been replaced! I would never hurt her that way!"

I felt like he had punched me in the gut. I had never intended for her to feel that way. Nobody could, or would ever replace Bella in my life. Doesn't she realize that? I felt sick at the thought of hurting her. I had to make this right and make it right tonight!

"Come on, Edward. Let's go, man." Emmett said tugging on my arm.

I could hear Jake's friends trying to talk him down as well.

"Jacob, I would never intentionally hurt Bella. I will make this right."

He snorted and shook his head.

"Come on, Edward." Jasper said tugging on my arm.

"Yeah, let's go." I agreed.

We quickly made our way back over to the girls and headed towards the car. Tanya chattered all the way back to her house about shopping and making plans for us for the following weekend. She wanted to get together again tomorrow and I told her I would call her in the morning. The whole time in the back of my mind, I was thinking I would probably spend tomorrow making up tonight to Bella.

When we got to Tanya's house I walked her to the door.

"I had a really great time tonight." she sighed as she kissed my cheek.

"Yeah, so did I. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah that would be great. Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Tanya." I smiled as I kissed her softly.

I waited until she was safely in the house and raced back to my car. I sped all the way home, anxious to sneak up to see Bella. I jumped out of my car as soon as it was off and ran around to the side of her house. I smiled when I realized that she had left her bedroom window open, so she must not be too awful mad at me. I quickly and carefully climbed up the trellis and slipped into her bedroom window. I nearly gasped out loud at the sight of Bella laying on her bed asleep. The moonlight was shining into her room and illuminated her beautifully.

_Beautifully?_ Huh. Yeah, I guess so.

I smiled as she rolled over in her bed and mumbled. Bella has always talked in her sleep.

Her t shirt rode up her body, exposing most of her stomach to me and when the sheet slipped where she rolled over, her pink boy shorts were exposed as well. I felt my eyes nearly roll back into my head as I felt a stirring in my pants that should not have been brought on by the sight of my half naked best friend.

Then… came the sound that was nearly my undoing.

She smiled and sighed, _"Edward... oh, Edward..."_

O

So, what did you think? Leave me some love and let me know! Or...even if your really pissed at me now let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing to do with Twilight.**

**BPOV**

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard the unmistakable sounds of someone coming in through my bedroom window. I didn't even have to turn over to know who it was.

"Go away, Edward. I don't want to talk to you tonight."

"Bella, please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." he said as he sat down on the edge of my bed.

I sighed and rolled over to face him. "Why, Edward? Why did you bring her? And why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I was so wrong, I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner." he said as he grabbed my hand.

"What, Edward? What are you talking about?"

He gently pulled on my hand; pulling me up into a sitting position. He reached out with his other hand and gently brushed it down the side of my face, before fisting it in the back of my hair.

"I should have realized that you were the only one for me." he murmured before leaning in and brushing his lips softly against mine.

"Edward, oh Edward." I gasped before pulling him into me and pressing my lips firmly against his.

Edward groaned as I ran my tongue over his bottom lip and he eagerly returned the gesture. He pulled me closer to him as the kiss grew more heated and hands began to wander. Everywhere he touched I felt as if my body was coming to life, feeling things as I had never felt before. My want and need for him growing and spreading like wildfire.

"God, Bella, how couldn't I see it?" he moaned against my neck as he placed soft kisses on my overheated skin. "I love you. I love you so much." He gently pushed me against the pillow, until I was laying on my back. He smiled down at me, before kissing my lips softly once more.

"Oh, Edward, I love you too." I breathed.

"Bella? Bells… you okay?" Edward asked.

Is he kidding me? Am I okay? I'm more than okay! I'm _freaking_ brilliant!

"Bells, wake up!" Edward laughed shaking me, "Bells!"

I opened my eyes to see Edward staring down at me with a playful smile on his face. I grinned back at him before pulling him back down on top of me and kissing him fiercely. I was a bit confused when he tensed up at first, but it only took him a few seconds before he was returning the kiss with enthusiasm. Somewhere in the back of my mind as I came out of the fog of sleep, I realized I was no longer dreaming. _This was really happening._

"Bella, oh, Bella... I never thought..."

His hand slowly started caressing up the bare skin of my stomach as he broke off the kiss and kissed down my jaw line to my neck. I gasped and slipped my hands up the back of his shirt, running my hands along his chiseled back.

"Edward, please!" I moaned, not really knowing what I was asking for.

Edward suddenly froze and jumped back off the bed as if he had been burned.

"Oh my God! Bella, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me!"

_Ouch! __Way to make a girl feel good there Edward._

I took a deep breath, "No, it's okay, Edward. I know you would never purposely kiss me like that. I'm the one who's sorry. I started it."

I sniffed as I pulled the blanket up tighter around me.

"Oh no, Bells, I didn't mean it like that." he said softly as he sat down beside me and grabbed one of my hands, "I gotta admit, that was pretty damned hot." he chuckled.

I felt a renewed sense of hope and my body tingled with excitement, "Really?"

He smiled at me, leaned in and kissed my forehead, "Really."

I felt the blush creep up into my cheeks, "Thanks."

He smiled at me again as he squeezed my hand, "Bells, I wanted to talk to you about what happened tonight."

_Oh no. __Here we go._

"Okay. I'm still pretty pissed at you though." I mumbled.

He smiled sadly, "Understandable. I deserve it."

"Glad you see things my way." I giggled.

"Seriously, Bells, I'm sorry I couldn't tell her 'no' when she asked to come. I was going to introduce you to her soon, I just wasn't sure where things were going with us yet."

I chewed on my bottom lip as I nodded, staring down at my comforter. Maybe he still didn't know where things were going. Maybe I still have a shot, especially after that hot kiss we just shared.

"Can I ask you a question though?" I asked still not looking at him.

"Of course."

"Why didn't you tell me about her at all? I mean, you've been dating her for three weeks, Edward! We've never kept secrets from each other like that."

"What? Dating for three weeks? Where did you get that idea?"

Now I looked up at him in shock. His brow was furrowed as if he were confused.

"Alice said you guys had been hanging out and talking since practices started three weeks ago."

He huffed in frustration, "Well, yeah we've been talking I guess. But, we weren't _dating_. We all went together and got ice cream and shit after practices, but it _wasn't_ a date. At least I didn't consider it a date. As far as I'm concerned tonight was our first date."

"So, you considered tonight to be a date? It was supposed to be our night, Edward." I pouted.

He frowned, "I know, Bells. And I feel like shit about that."

"You really hurt my feelings you know."

He winced and sucked in a breath, "I'm so sorry, Bells. Really, I am."

I nodded and squeezed his hand.

"Tell you what… let me make it up to you." he said, suddenly sounding excited.

"Okay, what do you have in mind?"

He grinned at me, "How about we spend the day together tomorrow? We could even get the gang together and head down to First Beach. Maybe play some football or something with the guys from the reservation? How does that sound?"

"That sounds great!" I exclaimed as I pulled him into a hug.

He slowly wrapped his arms around me tightly and nuzzled into my neck. The combination of his warm breath and the feel of his lips brushing against my neck sent tingles up my spine. I could feel the warmth spreading through out my body again as his hand came into contact with the bare skin of my side again.

Edward suddenly pulled back clearing his throat as he did, "It's late. I should let you get to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Bells."

I was disappointed, but I understood, "Okay. See you in the morning then."

He smiled at me as he stood up. He hesitated by the bed for a moment before leaning down and kissing the top of my head, "Goodnight." he whispered.

I sat there stunned and confused as hell as he slipped out the window.

**EPOV**

I was shaking so badly I thought I would fall to the ground and not have to climb down. When I got to the bottom, I adjusted myself hoping that Bella hadn't noticed the hard-on I was sporting when I left her room. What the hell had just happened? I went up there to apologize and talk to her. I wanted to beg her forgiveness and tell her what a stupid ass I had been. How did I end up having the hottest make out session of my life with my best damned friend?

I quietly slipped into the house and made my way up to my room undetected. Thankfully, my parents had already gone to bed. I cautiously closed the door to my room and began to strip out of my clothes. Even though I had showered earlier tonight, I now needed a long, cold shower. I nearly yelped when the cold water hit my flesh, helping my uh... 'problem'. I quickly washed off and got out of the shower. I dried off and slipped on a clean pair of boxers before collapsing into my bed.

I groaned out loud as I covered my eyes with my arm. I was beyond confused now. I thought back over everything that had happened tonight. I had kissed two different girls tonight. If I was being honest with myself, I definitely enjoyed one more than the other. Kissing Tanya was nice. Although, I will admit, I wasn't as comfortable with her as I had hoped I would be. She was a nice girl, but I'm not sure if we could really have a future.

Kissing Bella had been a whole different experience. It brought out feelings that I had never experienced. It lit a fire deep inside of me that I wasn't sure I wanted to put out. Things with Bella were easy, I was comfortable with her. But could I pursue that? Did I want to risk ruining my friendship with her if a romantic relationship didn't work out between us? I'm not so sure. Bella is my best friend; and okay I'll admit the fact that she's hot as hell, even though she thinks she's nothing special. And I do love her dearly, _but as a friend_.

I groaned again as I rolled over in my bed. That's it. I have to make things work with Tanya, or at least give it a good shot. Bella deserves to be with someone who can treat her the way she deserves to be treated and love her the way she deserves to be loved. I say that, but then why did it make my blood run cold when Jacob Black swore to me he would be there to put Bella back together after I broke her heart? Was I breaking her heart? Could she really feel more for me than just friendship?

No. No, Bella and I are _friends_. That's it. That's all we can be. I can't take the chance of losing her completely if I messed that up. She means too much to me. With my mind made up about what I was going to do, I finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning with a new found outlook about my relationship with Edward. I was more convinced than ever now that we belonged together. There was no denying it after the kiss we shared last night. I felt a smile creep onto my face and a warmth spread throughout me as I thought of our kiss. I wondered if he would kiss me again today. I hoped so. Just the thought of his lips on mine again was making me tingle all over. I smiled as I brought my hand up to my lips, remembering the way it felt to have his soft warm lips pressed against mine.

I decided not to waste any more time in bed, so I got up and jumped into the shower. I stood under the hot water, letting it relax me. I smiled as I shampooed my hair and thought back over last night. It hadn't gone as I had thought it would, but the ending was better than anything I could have imagined. Never would I have thought after Tanya had showed up as his date at the beginning of the night… that it would end with him in my bedroom kissing me.

I was nearly giddy with anticipation when I stepped out of the shower. I quickly dried off and got dressed. I wanted to make breakfast for Edward. I knew how much he loved my chocolate chip pancakes. I'm in an extra good mood this morning, so he may even get chocolate syrup and whipped cream to go with them. I headed down to the kitchen, placing my Zune on the dock station and filled the kitchen with the sounds of Good Charlotte's "I Don't Wanna Be In Love". I laughed to myself as I danced around mixing up pancake batter thinking I would love to see the look on Tanya's face if she knew how much Edward loved this song.

I was just putting the final pancake on the platter when I felt two very familiar strong arms wrap around me and I felt a tingle of pleasure shoot down my spine.

"Morning, Bells." Edward murmured as he kissed my cheek.

I smiled as I let my head fall back onto his shoulder. Just one simple kiss on my cheek had my whole body tingling. I felt my breathing hitch as I remembered what it felt like to have those same lips kissing me last night. The way it felt to have him kiss my lips, my jaw and my neck… it made me wonder what it would feel like to have those same lips in _other_ places on my body.

"You all right, Bella? You're flushed. You aren't getting sick are you?" he asked sounding concerned.

_Damn clueless boy._

I cleared my throat as I turned off the stove, "No, I'm fine. I hope you're hungry."

He grinned as he grabbed the platter from me setting it down on the counter and then pulling me into a hug, "Damn, Bells! You are the perfect woman! I can't believe you made my favorite this morning!"

I wrapped my arms around him in return, biting my bottom lip. Why can't he see how perfect we could be together? It's so effortless with us. We are so comfortable with each other and we know one another better than our own parents know us.

"Well, you know I wouldn't do this for just anybody. Only you, Eddie." I grinned as we grabbed our plates.

He groaned, "Bells, you know you are the only person who I let get away with calling me that."

I laughed, "Yup, it's 'cause you love me."

He laughed shaking his head, "You're crazy."

I grinned at him as I set my plate down on the table and handed him the whipped cream.

"Come on, Edward, you know you think I'm gorgeous."

He laughed shaking his head, "Don't, Bella."

I smiled at him as I got right up in front of him and started dancing, singing "You think I'm gorgeous... You want to kiss me... You want to hug me... You want to love me... You want to smooch me... You want to hug me."

He groaned shaking his head, "Been watching Miss Congeniality again, Bella?"

I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head back to look up at him, "Come on, Edward, you know you love it."

"Not as much as I love you, you crazy girl." he smiled kissing my forehead.

I felt my heart jump into my throat and we both froze. Did he just say that he loved me?

"What?" I breathed looking up at him.

His eyes were as big as saucers; he cleared his throat and pinched the bridge of his nose before running his hand through his hair.

"Of course, I love you, you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Oh. Friend. Right. Even though I felt like he had just dumped a bucket of ice water over my head, I grabbed his hand giving it a squeeze.

"Come on, _friend_, let's eat before it gets cold."

He looked at me for a second, looking like he wanted to say something before he squeezed my hand in return.

"Yeah, I'm starved and this smells killer."

I smiled and thanked him as we sat down at the table. We both ate in silence, except for Edward's moans and hums of pleasure. Just as we were finishing up his cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath as he glanced at the caller ID.

"Hey, Tanya." he sighed as he answered his phone.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I stood up from the table grabbing our plates to take to the sink.

"Hang on a sec." he said into the phone. "Bells, I promise I'll only be a minute. You want to go ahead and text Jake and see if they are up for a game of touch football on the beach at noon? Em, Jazz and the girls are in."

"Yeah, sure." I nodded.

Edward groaned as he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose again, "I already told you, Tanya. I'm spending the day with Bella and the gang."

I snickered as I headed into the kitchen, quickly putting or dirty dishes into the dishwasher and grabbing my phone. I quickly typed out a text to Jake asking if they wanted to meet up down at First Beach at noon. He replied quickly with an enthusiastic, "Hell, Yeah!"

I walked back into the dining room to find Edward rubbing his temples, his cell phone laying on the table.

"What's the matter, buddy? Trouble in paradise?"

"Paradise? More like hell." he mumbled under his breath, "I'm fine, Bells. What did Jake say?"

I frowned as I walked over and rubbed his shoulders, "You sure you're okay, Edward?"

He sighed as he let his head fall back against me. I continued rubbing his shoulders hoping to help relieve some of his tension.

"I will be." he sighed, "Hey, where is your dad?"

"Fishing with Billy. He won't be home till late."

"Awesome, maybe we can get dinner later and catch a late movie or something."

"That sounds great."

We sat around checking out what movies were playing and listening to music until it was time to head out and meet everyone down at the beach. When we arrived at the beach we could see all of the Quileute boys already tossing the ball back and forth on the beach.

"Hey, Bell! About damned time ya'll got here!" Jake bellowed from the beach.

"Impatient are we?" I yelled back.

"Always!" he laughed.

Edward snorted shaking his head and we walked towards the beach. Just as we were stepping into the sand, Emmett's jeep came flying into the parking lot, the sounds of The Notorious B.I.G blaring from the windows.

I could just make out Emmett's attempt to rap along, "I love it when ya call me big poppa." Edward and I were both laughing as he stepped out of his jeep, his hands waving in the air as he sang, "Throw ya hands in the ayer if youse a true playa."

"Don't quit your day job, Em." Rosalie snorted as she stepped out of the jeep.

"Let's get this party started, bitches!" Emmett yelled down to the beach, taunting Paul. He and Paul had a love-hate relationship. They loved to get under each others skin.

"Bring it on, McCarty!" Paul yelled back.

Emmett had a mischievous grin on his face as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. He glanced over his shoulder back at Jasper who was kissing Alice softly on her forehead, "Let's do this, Whitlock!"

Jasper and Edward both groaned, "Good lord. Here we go." Jasper sighed.

We all started towards the beach when Alice grabbed my arm, "Bella, wait a minute. We want to talk to you."

I rolled my eyes as I slowly turned to face her and Rose, "What's up?"

"We're sorry." Rose mumbled.

"Excuse me? Didn't catch that."

"We are sorry. We weren't trying to keep it from you, or hurt your feelings. We were hoping it would make you confess your feelings to Edward." Alice said squeezing my hand.

"Well, it didn't work now did it?" I grumbled.

"No… and for what it's worth, we really are sorry, Bella. Honestly, I can't stand the fake bitch." Rose spat.

I laughed, "Really? Tell me how ya really feel there, Rosie."

She smiled, "Don't call me Rosie, Belly..."

I laughed, "All right, Rose. Come on, Alley Cat. Let's go kick these guys' butts!"

"You forgive us, Bells?" Alice asked.

I sighed, "Yeah, I'll forgive you. But, honestly, I won't forget so easily. You guys kept this from me. It would have been nice to have some warning."

"It won't happen again. We swear!" Alice said grinning at me.

"Sure, sure." I mumbled.

Five minutes later we all stood facing each other on opposing teams.

Edward, myself, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were on one side.

Jacob, Seth, Paul, Jared, Quil and Embry were on the other. Sam hadn't been able to make it today; he and Emily had already made plans.

"Let's do this!" Paul huffed glaring at Emmett.

"Bring it, bitch." Emmett sneered back.

"Cool it, guys." Jasper chuckled.

Twenty minutes later we were all laughing as Paul and Emmett got a 'little' to rough with each other and ended up rolling in the sand.

"Look out, Bella!" Alice squealed and I turned my head just in time to see the football coming right at my face. I covered my face with my hands, closing my eyes. Before I knew what was happening I felt two very strong arms wrap around me from behind and I was pulled against a very firm body before we rolled onto the ground. I slowly opened my eyes to see Jake grinning down at me.

"You okay there, Bells?"

"Uh, yeah I'm good." I stammered out as I stared up at him.

Damn. When did Jake get so good looking? I have to admit, the feeling of his body on top of mine like this was not at all unpleasant. He was supporting his weight with one hand on each side of me. His left leg was in between my legs and I could feel him pressing against my thigh, as he hovered over me. He grinned as he leaned down and kissed my forehead, before pressing his forehead against mine.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Jake, I'm good, are you okay?"

He grinned down at me before swiftly pecking my lips and jumping up holding out his hand to me. I laid there stunned for a moment, my lips still tingling.

"You sure you are okay there, Bells?" he chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, I uh…"

He laughed again before leaning down and grabbing both of my hands and pulling me up, then wrapping his arms around me.

"I don't think Edward liked that too much." he whispered in my ear.

I glanced off to the side to see Edward standing there with a dark scowl on his face as he glared at us.

"I think he may be a bit jealous." he chuckled in my ear.

His warm breath against my neck sent a shiver down my spine. I gasped as he lightly kissed my neck right below my ear and my head involuntarily fell back, giving him better access. I felt his lips skim over my neck before he chuckled again, as his large warm hands ran up my sides.

"Hey, I thought we were playing football! Not having make-out sessions!" Edward huffed, earning a growl from Jake.

"We will continue this later." Jake whispered before smacking me on my butt, "What's the matter Cullen? Ya jealous?"

"Piss off, Jake." Edward spat.

"Chill out, guys." I grumbled, "Hey, who's that?" I asked as a red VW Bug pulled into the lot.

"Awe, hell." Edward grumbled.

"What? Who is it?" I asked walking up beside him.

"Hi, baby! Sorry, I didn't get here sooner!" Tanya squealed as she stepped out of the car.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

"I don't know, Bells. You heard me; you know I didn't invite her." he groaned.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed.

"Sorry." he mumbled as he headed towards the parking lot.

"Yeah, yeah."

Alice and Rose rushed over to me as Edward headed towards the lot.

"What is she doing here?" Rose asked.

"Who knows… Edward told her not to come." I shrugged.

We stood there laughing, shaking our heads as Edward helped her through the sand and spread out a blanket for her. She squealed and whined the whole way. She plopped down on the blanket and immediately began ordering Edward around. I sighed as I turned back to face the rest of the group.

"All right, come on, guys! I thought we were playing ball here!"

Seth grinned at me, "All right, B! Let's do this!"

"Let's go, Cullen! Are you done babysitting yet?" Jake taunted.

"Bite me, Black!" Edward retorted.

Jake chuckled as he looked over at me, "Sorry, man, but you're not my type."

Edward scowled as he looked back and forth between me and Jake.

"Whatever." he muttered.

The game was back on and we were all having a good time. Regardless of Tanya's shrieks and squeals every time one of us kicked sand onto her blanket, or one of the "sweaty boys" got to close to her.

"Heads up, B!" Jasper yelled as he passed me the ball.

I took off running down the beach with Jacob laughing hot on my heels, "Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he wrapped my arms around me, spinning me around, causing me to fumble the ball.

"Jake!" I squealed as I spun around to face him.

He grinned down at me and I suddenly realized how close he was. I faintly registered the laughter and scuffling around us as the game once again fell apart and the guys were wrestling around in the sand. Somewhere I could hear Tanya once again scolding Edward about something. It felt nice being in Jake's arms like this. I realized that it wasn't the same as being in Edward's arms. Being in Edward's arms felt right, it felt like home. But being with Jake like this was nice too. He slowly brought one of his hands up, gently brushing my hair back behind my ear.

"Bells, I know you still want him. But do you think you might, even if it's just a little bit, want me too?" he murmured as he traced my bottom lip with his index finger.

I swallowed hard as I looked up at him, "Yeah." I whispered.

He smiled in return, "That's all I needed to hear."

He wrapped one arm around my waist pulling me impossibly closer to him as his other hand found its way to the back of my head. Agonizingly, slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips softly to mine. I gasped as his tongue followed the route his finger had taken a moment ago, slowly tracing my bottom lip, before slipping into my mouth. Our lips and tongues moved sensously together, creating warmth that spread throughout my body. I whimpered as his hand slid down, cupping my backside.

"Yo, Ed, heads up man!" I faintly heard Paul call, before I heard a blood curdling scream.

Jacob and I broke apart, both of us panting as he grinned down at me.

"Oh my God! Edward! He broke my nose!" Tanya was screaming.

"What happened?" I laughed looking up at Jake.

He just grinned down at me, "Don't know, don't care."

We both looked over to see Tanya's face covered with her hands, blood trickling out between her fingers.

"God, Ed, man, I'm sorry." Paul was muttering as he paced back and forth by the blanket.

Jake and I looked at each other before sighing and heading over to them. Edward was hovering over her trying to hold a towel up to her face.

"Is she okay?" I asked touching Edward's back.

"She'll be fine." Edward said gruffly without turning to look at me.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked, "You need me to get an ice pack or something?"

"We are fine. Go back to your _boyfriend_." Edward huffed without looking at me.

I winced and turned to Jake, I felt like he had slapped me in the face. Jake immediately wrapped his arms around me.

"He's just jealous." he murmured in my ear.

Rose and Alice came up, giving Edward a towel full of ice they had gotten out of the cooler, before coming over to us.

"What happened?" Jake asked Alice.

She giggled as she laid a hand on my back. "Well, Paul threw the ball to Edward." she stopped to giggle again. "But Edward was too busy _glaring_ at the two of you kissing; he didn't realize it in time." she stopped and was giggling again.

Shaking her head, Rose laid a hand on Alice's back, "What the pixie here is trying to say is, that Edward was so insanely jealous watching the two of you together that he didn't see Paul throw the ball and missed catching it. The ball ended up hitting Tanya square in the face."

Jacob snorted shaking his head, trying to hold in his laughter.

"That doesn't make any sense though." I said.

"What do you mean? Which part?" Alice asked.

"Why would Edward be jealous?" I asked confused.

Alice and Rose smiled knowingly, "Because… my dear Bella. I think he's starting to realize just who he really belongs with." Rose said smiling.

"Bells? Can I talk to you for a sec?" I heard Edward say behind me.

I turned to look at him and he looked crushed. It nearly broke my heart.

"Yeah sure." I looked to Jake, Alice and Rose. "I'll be right back."

Edward held a hand out to me, which I grabbed and he pulled me off to the side.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." he mumbled.

"It's okay. You got a lot going on." I shrugged.

He huffed slightly, "So, you and Jake huh?"

"What? Oh, I don't know."

"It's okay. I understand" he said softly.

"What do you mean you understand?"

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, "I don't know, Bells. I don't know what I'm thinking."

"I don't understand, Edward." I said putting my arm around his waist.

"Yeah, that makes two of us." he said wrapping his arms around me giving me a squeeze. "Look, I gotta go take care of Tanya. I'll call you in a while okay?"

I hated the fact that he was leaving once again with her, but given the circumstances I understood.

"Yeah, okay. I understand." I mumbled against his chest.

"Hey, look at me." he said softly.

I looked up at him to see him give me a sad smile, "So, you and Jake? What's up with that?"

I laughed, "I don't know. I'm confused."

He nodded before kissing my forehead, "Yeah, me too, Bells."

I stood there dumb-founded as he walked over to collect Tanya. I watched as he helped her into her car and Rose and Alice helped him gather all of her things. Emmett walked back over to me and handed me Edward's keys.

"He asked that you drive his car home."

"Okay."

Emmett grinned as he mussed my hair, "Don't worry, Bells. Everything will work out."

"I hope so, Emmett." I smiled.

I walked back over to say goodbye to all of the guys. Jacob walked me back over to Edward's car.

"So, can I call ya later, Bells?" he asked grabbing my hand.

Since when does he ask if he can call?

"Yeah, sure, Jake." I said smiling.

"Okay." he said softly as he leaned in and kissed my lips again, "Talk to ya later." he smiled against my lips.

"Yeah, talk to ya later." I brilliantly replied.

He chuckled as he opened the car door for me and I slipped in. I drove home in silence, not even bothering to turn on the radio. I parked in Edward's driveway and just took the keys in with me. I quickly showered and laid down on my bed. I sighed as I thought back over the day's events. I've never been so confused in my life.

O

END CHAPTER

So, what did you think? Think Edward is starting to wise up a bit?


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